Character Slot Fee even for your first (only) character?

[ispano]

The only way this scheme offers more options is if the 1st slot were tightly coupled to the sub. They could charge a flat rate for service + 1 active character slot. There is no need for the tight coupling. A company does not regain the faith of its customers by attempting to fool them with unnecessarily complex pricing schemes.

And yet, it's not. 9.99 Subscription, $3 per character (and $1 per extra retainer if they keep that)

I fail to see how it's complex. Regardless of whether the character is the first or fifth, it still costs $3 for that character slot.